There are a wide array of connecting terminals having an insulation-displacement contact, where a cable is introduced and, upon closing of the housing, the cable is electroconductively contacted by an insulation-displacement contact.
To simplify handling, some housings lock engagingly in the contact position and thereby secure the contact that has been established. Such designs function reliably and allow a reliable operation over the long term. Connecting terminals of this type have the particular disadvantage, however, of requiring one hand to open the housing to establish the contact, for example, and the other hand to subsequently introduce a cable to be connected. This means that a two-handed operation is normally necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,421 B1 describes a connecting terminal that is suitably adapted for the contacting of an insulated conductor by an insulation-displacement contact. A lid having a cable guide is pivotably disposed on the housing. Also provided on the housing are two latching arms that cooperate with latching projections configured on the pivotable lid, so that, in the open position, the lid is held in locking engagement on the latching arm. In the closed position, the latching arm locks engagingly on other latching projections of the lid in order to secure the closed contact state.
The system discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,421 B1 permits easier insertion of a cable to be connected, since the latching arm fixes the housing in place not only in the closed state, but also in the open state. However, it has the inherent disadvantage that a relatively substantial force must be overcome to move the connecting terminal from the latched open state to the latched clamping state. In modern soldering processes, in particular, which include the soldering on of such connecting terminals in a reflow process, high temperatures occur, so that only high-temperature resistant plastics can be used. Such high-temperature resistant plastics are relatively brittle, so that, in the open state of the connecting terminal, there is a considerable risk of the snap-in locking elements breaking off, making the entire component unusable.